Unwilling Assassin  Alternate Ending 1
by pixie blue
Summary: *SPOILERS FOR UNWILLING ASSASSIN! PLEASE READ THAT FIRST!* One of the alternate endings I had for Unwilling Assassin. Basically, I thought, "What if Maverick didn't exist?" and this is one of the results. This is the sad ending. Have fuuuun!


A/N: So, this is one of the alternate ending for Unwilling Assassin. I know, I know, it's been a long time coming. I'm sorry.

Basically, I had this scenario running through my head: what if, when Halt was attacked by Magnus' guards, he killed Maverick/Maverick never existed, and so there was a different knight accompanying Magnus at Ysabeau's cottage? For starters, that means Alyss and Ysabeau are actually dead. But then what happens after? This fic, that's what! Picks up somewhere near the beginning of chapter 13 (I've placed a few lines preceding the new scene from the old chapter so you can have some bearing as to what's happening). Again, I apologise for the huge delay.

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_Magnus waved at the man to go fetch their horses. After a few attempts, he lifted his heavy body into the saddle. "Burn the cottage."_

_The knight looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you going to watch, my Lord?"_

_He shook his head. "I'm far too busy for that. I'll be able to see it from my study anyway." With that, he cantered back to the castle._

_Shrugging to himself, the knight turned to his pack, pulled out two flint stones and a torch and set to lighting it._

Eventually the spark caught, the torch flaring to life. His cruel face flickered in the uncertain firelight, taking on an almost demonic appearance. He gathered together most of the fallen herbs and snapped several pieces of wooden furniture into to smaller chunks, building them up into a pyre in the middle of the room. Once satisfied, he tossed the torch into its centre almost contemptuously. The flames greedily devoured the dried herbs, licking at the splintered bits of furniture. Several of these larger pieces caught, steadily filling the room with smoke and heat. He backed out of the cottage, uncomfortable with the increasing temperature.

"Come on, come on, leave already!" Will muttered under his breath.

Halt put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Be patient. He'll wait until the cottage is burning readily, then he'll leave."

Clenching his fists, Will glared at the knight. "Alyss is still in there. So is Ysabeau. I can't just let them burn."

"Will, you have to wait. If you go out now, he'll just try to kill you. If you hadn't noticed, he has a great whacking sword! Think about it. Magnus is deranged - he won't see us killing that knight as revenge for Alyss and the healer - he'll see it as us needing something in that cottage. He won't know there's an antidote, but he might suspect it. If he does, he would know that we wouldn't necessarily die within a month. He'll set his men on us, and I doubt we'd escape. Not without Tug and Abelard." It had hurt both the Ranger and his apprentice to leave their horses behind, but they'd had no choice. They had needed to get out of the castle as quickly as possible, and the stables were at the other side of the castle, in the opposite direction to Ysabeau's cottage.

By now, the thatched roof had ignited, wreathing the small building with a halo of flame, which in turn was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke. The air around the cottage started to haze. Will's fists were now clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white. Finally, the knight decided that the fire was well enough underway that he could leave. He swung up onto his horse, which had been uneasy with all the smoke in the air, and made his way back to the castle.

Will leapt from his hiding spot as soon as the knight was gone from view.

He raced through the trees, only slowing at the door so that he wouldn't crash into the frame from the abrupt change of direction. Fire bloomed everywhere, the room filled with light. Skirting around the still-burning pile in the centre of the floor space, Will dragged the massive jar from the shelf and made it secure in his arms. A quick glance told him that Alyss' room was still relatively untouched by the flames, but everything beyond the couch - including Ysabeau - was completely engulfed. Will closed his eyes briefly. There was no hope of him finding her body without getting injured or killed. He shifted the weight of the antidote in his arms, eyes flickering again to where Alyss' body was. The blaze was steadily eating its way across the room. He couldn't leave her there, but he couldn't carry her and the antidote at the same time.

Seeing as she was still in the least affected area in the building, and Will was already holding the antidote, he decided he'd move the jar outside and come back for Alyss' body. He dodged around the room's fiery centre once again and stepped outside, coughing. The air there was still smoggy, but far more breathable than inside.

Still weak from his imprisonment, Halt had made his way more slowly down to the cottage, arriving just as Will exited. Will pushed the jar into his mentor's arms. "Here. I have to go back in - Alyss is still in there. We need to give her a proper burial."

"Don't, Will. It's not safe-" He cut himself off as some of the more volatile mixtures inside the house set alight, causing several small explosions and a huge wave of heat. They were both knocked to the ground, the jar cushioned by Halt's torso. Will scrambled to his feet, raising an arm in front of his face as a small measure of protection. He was almost at the doorway when the roof sagged, several of the support beams collapsing and effectively blocking the entrance. Another blast of heat forced him back, searing the exposed skin of his face and hands. He was about to go around the back to look for a back door when the cottage seemed to give a weary sigh - then it tilted back, collapsing in a shower of sparks and crackling flames. The room Alyss had been in was now buried and burning.

"NO!" The cry tore from Will's throat as he surged forward, heedless of the burning rubble he'd have to dig through to find her body.

Halt, having by now placed the antidote to the side, wrapped his arms around his apprentice, using what small amount of strength he now possessed to keep him from running into the blaze. "Will, stop! It's too dangerous!" he shouted in the teen's ear. Will continued to struggle. "She's already dead. Do you think she would want you to throw yourself away like this?" His attempts at escape from Halt's grip grew feebler. "She's already gone, Will," he murmured softly, sadly. "She's gone."

Stopping his resistance altogether, Will turned and sagged against his mentor, clutching at him like someone drowning. Tears streamed down his face as Halt awkwardly patted his hair, unused to dealing with emotional situations. Will didn't talk at all, but a single thought raced through his head, over and over and over again.

_It's all my fault._

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A/N: I've already written the super-sad ending, so I'll post that tomorrow (or maybe the day after, knowing my propensity to forget to update). Until then,

-pixie.


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